An atypical gastric duplication cyst as a rare cause of gastric dilatation: the key role of the endoscopy ultrasound.

We have written a "letter to Editor" about a case of gastric dilatation caused by a symptomatic gastric duplication cyst with ectopic pancreas ingrowth, in a 13 years old boy. The Endoscopy Ultra Sound characterized the lesion and permitted the aspiration of the internal liquid. The patient underwent to laparoscopic excision of the mass and the histology revealed a gastric duplication cyst with ectopic pancreas ingrowth.

Giant epidermoid cyst of the spleen in a pediatric patient: A case report.

RATIONALE: Splenic cysts (SCs) are rare findings in children, particularly the youngest. Here, we discuss a case that is useful for the differential diagnosis and treatment of SCs. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 9-year-old Albanian boy was admitted for severe abdominal pain localized mainly in the left hypochondrium for approximately 24 hours. His medical history was without significant clinical problems. DIAGNOSIS: Splenomegaly was diagnosed during the first clinical examination, and laboratory tests showed an increase in CA 125 and CA19-9. Abdominal ultrasonography showed splenomegaly with a large hypoechoic oval formation with well-defined margins and the presence of internal fine suspension spots; abdominal magnetic resonance imaging revealed a well-defined SC. The cystic lesion caused major effects on the neighboring organs, shifting them from their normal sites. INTERVENTIONS: Considering the mass's volume, an open splenectomy was performed. Upon histopathological examination, the lesion was characterized by a stratified squamous keratinized thick lining and brownish liquid contents consisting of lymphocytes, erythrocytes, and hemosiderin-rich macrophages. These features informed the diagnosis of a giant epidermoid SC. OUTCOMES: No complications occurred in the post-operative period, and blood exams revealed the quick normalization of CA 19.9 and CA 125 levels. The boy was discharged on the eighth post-operative day. No complaints were documented during the regular follow-up. LESSONS: This case shows that modern imaging techniques are useful for the differential diagnosis between epithelial mass and SCs of different origins. Open splenectomy has been the treatment of choice for years, but future studies should clarify whether more conservative methods are associated with positive long-term outcomes and if they can also be used for large SCs.

Childhood Asymmetry Labium Majus Enlargement (CALME): Description of Two Cases.

Background: Childhood asymmetry labium majus enlargement (CALME) is an uncommon, benign condition that occurs in pre- and early pubertal girls and is characterized by a painless, fluctuating, non-tender labial swelling with normal overlying skin. Recognition of this benign condition is essential. Differentiation with several other diseases that mimic CALME and require different diagnostic and therapeutic approaches is mandatory. Two cases of CALME are described in this report. Differential diagnoses and therapeutic approaches are highlighted. Case presentation: The first case was an 11-year-old Caucasian girl referred to our hospital for the evaluation of right labium majus, which showed a palpable, painless, soft, non-tender, non-erythematous enlargement measuring approximately 2 cm with indistinct borders. Ultrasound showed a mass 23 × 18 × 12 mm in diameter. Surgical excision of the mass was performed and in the histopathological evaluation, the tissue specimens were composed of haphazardly arranged vascular channels, adipose tissue and nervous elements that were components of the vulvar soft tissue and were compatible with the diagnosis of CALME. Case 2 was a 6-year-old Caucasian girl who presented a post-traumatic painless mass of left labium majus swelling that progressively increased in volume. Ultrasound study evidenced an ill-defined heterogeneous echotexture mass 26 × 15 × 10 mm in diameter and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed these findings. Histopathological examination was performed after bioptic sampling evidencing normal constituents of vulvar soft tissue, including fibroblast, collagen, adipose tissue, blood vessels and nerves compatible with CALME. Conclusions: CALME is a particular clinical condition that occurs mainly in pre-pubertal girls and has a benign course but poses numerous problems in differential diagnosis that can be solved only with careful clinical observation and with a careful use of radiological imaging techniques. Our cases, in agreement with recent literature, suggest that radical excision is not recommended and that surgical biopsy should be taken into consideration only in cases of doubt.

Inflamed Phylloides Tumour in a Girl: A Challenging Diagnosis in Paediatric Breast Lesions.

Introduction: Phylloides tumours (PTs) are rare fibroepithelial neoplasms that account for 0.3⁻0.9% of all breast tumours. These tumours typically occur in women aged 30⁻70 years. The occurrence of these tumours in older children and adolescents poses particular diagnostic and therapeutic problems. However, early diagnosis is mandatory because although most of the cases of PTs in children are benign, the borderline and malignant cases with potential negative outcomes cannot be excluded. Case presentation: A 12-year-old girl presented at the Paediatric Emergency Department for hyperaemia and warmth of the left breast that occurred a few days prior without fever. The girl experienced menarche 8 months previously. She experienced no previous trauma and she had no family history of breast cancer. On physical examination, the left breast was painful, enlarged and tender. The overlying skin was erythematous and warm. A breast ultrasonography (US) revealed a large mass with features of an abscess, including a hyperechoic wall, scattered internal echoes and hypoechoic peripheral lacunae of apparent colliquative nature. After 4 days of unsuccessful antibiotic therapy, surgical drainage was performed due to the suspicion of a mammary abscess. At the surgical incision site, the lesion was not-well circumscribed and lacked a capsule. In addition, purulent material was not detected. Histological examination revealed that the tissue alterations were compatible with benign PT. With this diagnosis, the girl underwent definitive surgical removal of the lesion. The postoperative period passed without negative events. An US performed 6 months later revealed that no new mass was present at this time, suggesting no recurrence of the tumour. Conclusion: This case shows that in the presence of a clinical picture suggesting the inflammation of the breast in adolescent females, PT should be considered as a possible diagnosis and US-guided core biopsy should be considered to confirm this suspicion. Thereafter, when surgical excision is performed, particular attention must be paid to both the preservation of all the normal breast parenchyma and future aesthetic problems.

Urological dysfunction in young women: an inheritance of childhood?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation of a history of lower urinary tract symptomatology during childhood with lower urinary tract dysfunction in young adult women. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This was a multicentre, prospective, case-control study conducted between April 2013 and November 2015. A total of 300 women, aged 18-40 years, participated. The case group comprised women attending urogynaecology clinics for various lower urinary tract complaints and the control group was recruited from a healthy population. Exclusion criteria were designed to avoid common causes of lower urinary tract dysfunction and symptoms and included diabetes mellitus, neurological disease and pelvic inflammatory disease. All women completed a self-administered 77-item questionnaire, exploring childhood urological and bowel history, as well as current urological, bowel and sexual symptoms. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests to compare categorical variables. Multivariate logistic regression models were fit for the prediction of the adult outcomes, incorporating as explanatory variables all those that showed a significant P value in bivariate analysis. P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Women with childhood urinary voiding and storage symptoms had a higher prevalence of these symptoms in adult life compared with women without such history. Women with urinary tract infections (UTIs) during childhood had a higher incidence of adult UTIs compared with women without this problem in childhood. CONCLUSIONS: Lower urinary tract dysfunction in childhood seems to 'persist' in young adult life but the implications of this finding in clinical practice need to be defined in future studies.

Dirofilariasis Mimicking an Acute Scrotum.

Human infections caused by Dirofilaria repens have been reported in many areas of the world. We describe a case of a 3-year-old child with an intrascrotal mass caused by D repens mimicking an acute scrotum. This represents the first case of scrotal dirofilariasis described in pediatric age with such an unusual presentation.

Feasibility of a tubularised incised-plate urethroplasty with double de-epithelised dartos flaps in a failed hypospadias repair: a preliminary report.

BACKGROUND: Reoperation for failed hypospadias has been considered to be seriously problematic. The dense fibrotic tissue causes difficulties in wound healing and increases the rate of complications. The tubularised incised-plate urethroplasty (TIPU) method has become a preferred method for all varieties of hypospadias in the past decade. However, fistulas are still one of the most common complications of this technique. The aim of this paper was to present the preliminary results of TIPU procedure with double de-epithelised dartos flaps in failed hypospadias repair. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients were treated between January 2009 and August 2010 by the same procedure, utilising TIPU with double de-epithelised dartos flaps. Vascularised ventral dartos flaps harvested from each side of the penis with their vascular supply were transposed to cover the suture line by wrapping them from either side of the penis. RESULTS: There were 21 boys with failed hypospadias: 20 had previously undergone TIPU, and one Koyanagi repair. Patients presented with very large fistulas in four and dehiscence in 17. Repair of the failed hypospadias using TIPU with double de-epithelised dartos flaps was quite successful, with no fistula recurrence or dehiscence observed. CONCLUSION: The preliminary results showed that TIPU with double de-epithelised dartos flaps is a useful method of successfully repairing failed hypospadias.

Outpatient department repair of urethrocutaneous fistulae using n-butyl-cyanoacrylate (NBCA): a single-centre experience.

OBJECTIVES: • To evaluate urethrocutaneous fistula repair after urethroplasty using n-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA) in an outpatient setting. • To compare results of application of NBCA in 'early' and long-standing fistulae. PATIENTS AND METHODS: • From January 2003 to December 2006, 13 children (mean age 36 months) were treated in our Outpatient Department for urethrocutaneous fistula, which occurred after hypospadias repair. • We analysed the data dividing the patients in two groups: group A comprised six children (mean age 22.6 months) that developed a fistula within 2-3 days of catheter removal after urethroplasty ('early' fistula) and group B comprised seven children (mean age 42.6 months) with long-standing fistulae. • In all patients, a multilayer of NBCA was applied, attaching the edges of the fistula taking care to perform a scarification of the edges of the fistula in patients in group B before the application of the glue. RESULTS: • Four patients in group A and three patients in group B had definitive fistula repair (seven of 13), and six of the 13 had fistula recurrence. • Fistulae of ≤ 2 mm were more easily repaired than fistulae of > 2 mm (five of seven vs two of six). • Fistulae that tended to recover were those that responded to the first applications. CONCLUSIONS: • In this experience the use of NBCA as a minimally invasive treatment for fistula repair gave good results for repairing fistulae. • These preliminary results encourage the use of NBCA as a first non-surgical attempt to repair urethrocutaneous fistulae especially if the fistula is ≤2 mm. • The failure of this procedure does not compromise a possible subsequent surgical repair.

Preliminary experience with a new approach for infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis: the single-port, laparoscopic-assisted pyloromyotomy.

BACKGROUND: Ramstedt pyloromyotomy is still the procedure of choice for infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis; however, the best way to approach the pylorus is debated. Recent literature reports many comparisons between various open approaches and laparoscopic one. The purpose of this preliminary experience is to show a new approach to infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis: single-port, laparoscopic-assisted pyloromyotomy. METHODS: Nineteen infants underwent single-port laparoscopic-assisted pyloromyotomy. The approach to the abdominal cavity is performed through a right circumbilical incision, and then a 12-mm trocar is inserted. After the pneumoperitoneum is established, an operative telescope is introduced. Once the telescope is inserted, the pylorus is easily located, and then grasped and exteriorized via the umbilical incision. At this point, conventional Ramstedt pyloromyotomy is performed. Once the pylorus is reintroduced in the abdomen, a new pneumoperitoneum is created to control mucosal integrity and hemostasis. A retrospective statistical analysis was performed to compare patients who underwent this technique to others approached by the same team with right upper quadrant incision or right semicircular umbilical skin-fold incision. RESULTS: In all 19 cases, adequate pyloromyotomy was performed in a good ranging time without any intra- or post-operative complications, achieving excellent early cosmetic results. CONCLUSIONS: The feasibility of single-port, laparoscopic-assisted pyloromyotomy obtained in this small sample suggests that this procedure could be an excellent alternative to open or laparoscopic pyloromyotomy as long as it acts as intermediary between the two techniques.

Endoscopic repair of post-traumatic fistulae of posterior urethra using hyaluronic acid dextranomer.

Many surgical approaches to posterior urethral diseases are reported in published data. The authors report a case of a patient with prostatic urethral post-traumatic fistulae, probably developed from an abscess that developed after a surgical intervention to correct a pubic symphysis fracture. The fistulae were repaired with an unusual mininvasive endourologic procedure, using the hyaluronic acid dextranomer, which is commonly used in vesicoureteral reflux treatment.

Double-cross flap protection: new technique for coverage of neourethra in hypospadias repair.

PURPOSE: We analyzed a new urethra preserving approach, double-cross flap protection, during tubularized incised plate urethroplasty. We compared the results of 57 patients treated with this new procedure and 80 patients treated with 2 different techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 137 patients with hypospadias between October 2002 and March 2008. Patients were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 consisted of 40 patients (mean age 50 months) undergoing tubularized incised plate urethroplasty. Group 2 included 40 patients (mean age 48 months) undergoing tubularized incised plate urethroplasty with dorsal subcutaneous flap. Group 3 consisted of 57 patients (mean age 39 months) undergoing tubularized incised plate urethroplasty with 2 de-epithelialized preputial flaps twisted ventrally and sutured individually over the neourethra. All patients were operated on by the same surgeons. Statistical analysis of postoperative complications was performed by ANOVA and chi-square test. RESULTS: In Group 1 fistula developed in 6 patients (15%) and was associated with stenosis of the neourethra in 4 (10%). In Group 2 fistula developed in 4 patients (10%). In Group 3 no fistula was observed, but mild stenosis of the neomeatus developed in 3 patients (5.3%), which was treated with dilation. Thus, the incidence of fistula in group 3 was significantly less (p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: Double-cross flap protection is safe and significantly reduces the incidence of postoperative fistula.

Minimally invasive removal of urachal remnants in childhood.

OBJECTIVES: Urachal remnants are rare congenital anomalies generally treated with open surgery. In the last decade laparoscopic treatment of these anomalies became more frequent. The Authors report their experience about minimally invasive treatment of remnants. METHODS: Four children with urachal remnants underwent minimally invasive surgery. Two children with infected urachal cysts underwent delayed laparoscopic assisted excision. In the others two patients with urachal cysts diagnosed incidentally the excision of the remnant was performed laparoscopically. RESULTS: In all cases the excision of remnants was accomplished easily. Operative time ranged from 40 to 90 minutes. Intra- or post-operative complications and recurrences did not occur and the cosmetic results were very good. CONCLUSIONS: Minimally invasive surgery for urachal remnants is reliable, diagnostic and therapeutic at the same time. In case of complicated urachal cysts the delayed laparoscopic assisted treatment ensure a minimally invasive surgery with a single anesthesia.